Iran's supreme leader vowed retaliation on Saturday for attacks by Israel, as an Israeli military official confirmed naval commandos seized a suspected Hezbollah operative in a Lebanon raid. The World Health Organization said four children were among six people wounded in a strike on a polio vaccination centre in north Gaza, where UN agencies have spoken of "apocalyptic" conditions in the face of a blistering Israeli assault. Days before the presidential election in the United States -- Israel's main military supplier -- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran's response would cover attacks on both the Islamic republic and its allies.
"The enemies, both the USA and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response," Khamenei said, referring to Iran-aligned groups including those in Yemen and Syria. On October 26, Israel bombed military sites in Iran, killing four servicemen, in response to an October 1 barrage of about 200 missiles that Tehran called a reprisal. Israel has warned Iran against responding to the October 26 attack.
Analysts say Israel inflicted severe damage on Iranian air defences and missile capacities and could yet launch more wide-scale action against the Islamic republic. The US military said Saturday its B-52 bombers have arrived in the Middle East, a day after Washington announced their deployment in a warning to Tehran. Since late September Israel has been engaged in full-scale war against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Leban.
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